ROLE PLAY ON CONFRONTATION

A local real estate developer has sold an "option" to buy a parcel of land to a non-profit organization that specializes in affordable housing. The Low-Income Housing Corporation has announced that 20% of the units in the apartment complex they plan to build on this parcel will be reserved for people with incomes under $25,000 per year. Homeowners in a new development directly adjacent to this parcel have organized to oppose the construction of the apartment complex. They have established an alliance with their city council member who also opposes the apartment complex. The City Council will need to vote on whether the parcel of land should be rezoned to permit multi-family housing.

The information that the homeowners association has released to the media suggests that the development will decrease property values, increase crime, and lead to overcrowding in the schools. Editorials in the local newspaper suggest the homeowner opposition to the complex is based on racism (the neighborhood has been primarily white) and prejudicial attitudes toward low-income people. In order to prevent the construction of the apartment complex, the Homeowners Association has planned a community forum which will be open to all interested neighborhood residents.

People Opposed to the Project - (Group who will conduct the forum and try to prevent disruption by those who support the complex)

Local homeowners are opposed to the construction of the apartment complex because they believe it will reduce their property values. A number of real estate developers are also opposed to the complex because they believe it will reduce their ability to sell homes in the area. The land in this neighborhood is considered to be valuable because is it close to a golf course and the riverfront. In this community; developers have strong alliances with the mayor and members of the city council, often making large donations to pro-development candidates in city elections.

The local newspaper reports that the City Council member opposed to the project has accepted several large donations from at least one of the developers who has a vested interest in stopping the project.

 People in Support of the Project (Group who will try to take the floor during the forum)

This group includes the Executive Director of the Low-Income Housing Corporation, the lawyer for the LIHC, tenants in the one of the LIHC's existing apartment complexes, and a handful of local residents who support the apartment complex. Local residents have provided LIHC with information that indicates that a new school has been planned for the area for quite some time - so school overcrowding is not a valid reason for opposition to the project. LIHC apartments in other areas have provided quality housing to low-income residents and have not been found to be associated with an increase in local crime rates.

Role Play

The local City Council member has scheduled a community forum to discuss this issue. Local residents have been invited to attend. There is some expectation that the LIHC, the organization that supports the project may try to disrupt the meeting.  The councilperson and members of the homeowner's association will need to plan the forum carefully in order to minimize disruption. The pro-development group will consider strategies to put forward their point of view.

For this role play, the class will be divided into two groups. One group will represent the interests of community residents opposed to the project. The other group will represent the pro-affordable housing development interests. Each group member will assume a "role" representing individuals and/or interest groups that could be expected to participate in such a forum.

At minimum the pro-affordable housing development group should consist of the following:

Community Organizer

Executive director of the LIHC

Lawyer for the LIHC

City Council members who support the project

Tenants from a housing complex owned by LIHC

Community residents who support the project

Representatives from local organizations that advocate for the rights of low income people and people of color.

At minimum, the homeowner's association should consist of the following:

Community organizer

President and/or board members of the neighborhood association

City Council member opposing the project

Homeowners

Real Estate developers who oppose the project

(Feel free to adopt the identity of any local personalities or politicians)

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